The Animal Inside
by Phoenix Ride
Summary: The Night Howler case is over and Zootopia seems to be at peace. But some people don't like the idea of predators living in harmony with prey, so when a new terror comes to the streets, Nick will be forced to make a choice. Either remain friends with Judy, or unleash the animal inside. Please Read, Review, and Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Eyes of a Predator

**The Animal Inside**

 **By: Phoenix Ride**

 **Ch.1: Eyes of a Predator**

Red clouds shadowed over the ruins of a vacant town, left behind to suffer in the agony and horror of its own disgrace.

This had been a thriving place once, with many animals to fill up its streets, and take in the joys of being evolved. Now there was only an echo of those happier times.

The smell of death whispered slowly in the silence, poisoning the air.

Not far away, in a house that had yet to fall to destruction's touch, huge claws sat tapping in anger as eerie, yellow eyes glared towards the glow of a TV screen.

The program was currently set on the news, and the more the reporter spoke only made the animal watching in the chair growl more and more.

"It's been weeks since the case of the Night Howler incident" said the snow leopard doing the newscast " and things seem to be improving in Zootopia slowly as the relationship between predator and prey is carefully becoming more strong."

"However, some animals are not quite ready for things to slip back into normalcy yet" the leopard continued " and there have been protests to let Ms. Bellwether out of jail. The former assistant mayor, who some still believe is not responsible for master-minding the Night Howler incident, is still sitting in jail, rotting for her plan."

"Right now, the protests to set this little lamb free are peaceful and have caused no harm. But many voices have risen up to confront the protesters supporting Bellwether's actions, saying that she had just as much harm to prey as she did predators."

"In related news, the rising crime-stopping duo known as Nicholas Wilde and Judy Hopps continue to work hard to make Zootopia a better place. This unlikely partnership has sparked huge inspiration between Zootopia's masses, proving once and for all that prey and predator can live in…Crack!"

That was the sound that was heard as the entire TV suddenly split in two, damaged heavily by the axe that had been thrown to split its screen.

Hearing the sound of the damage, the door of the house suddenly opened, allowing a wiry, old jackal to step into the room. His orange eyes gazed around with curiosity and fear.

"Boss" said the jackal, calling out to the dark " are you okay?"

The animal sitting in the chair shifted, looking towards his ally, yellow eyes cold.

"Zootopia" the dark figure growled " do they really think there is a beacon of hope between predator and prey?"

The jackal in the room suddenly gulped, knowing that his boss was moving into a rage.

"There can be no peace" said the figure, looking glaringly at his claws " we can only be what we are. Monsters…murderers… That fox and the rabbit, they are the symbol that are giving these people hope. It's time to return things to their natural ways."

"What do you have planned Boss?" asked the jackal nervously.

"We" said the dark figure " are going to Zootopia, and destroy that beacon of hope."

With that said, his huge claws suddenly slashed, tearing what was left of the TV, which now showing fuzzy picture of Nick and Judy, apart.

Danger howled hard in the air. Doom was coming to Zootopia, and coming soon.


	2. Chapter 2: Demolished Views

**Ch.2: Demolished Views**

A few days later, in the city of Zootopia…..

"Hey!" yelled Officer Judy Hopps, as she ran off after a suspect. " ZPD! Stop in the name of the law!"

"Ugh" grunted Nick Wilde, Judy's partner, running beside the cop rabbit " Did you seriously just say that? That's the oldest line in the book!"

"So?" said Judy, looking towards the fox "Focus Nick, we can't let him get away!"

"He won't get far," said Nick, noting a sign for a demolition zone up ahead. Looks like some kind of federal building was getting blown up today, to make room for something new.

Surely Duke the Weasel wouldn't slip in there. He was crazy, but Nick didn't think he was psycho. Well, for once, the fox was wrong, and Duke slipped through the fence into the demolition site. The danger level had just got kicked up another notch.

"Guh" grunted Nick, as he followed Judy over the fence " if I knew that some days on the force were going to be like this I wouldn't have signed up."

Needless to say, the demolition workers were surprised when they saw that small police chase running through.

"Hey, you can't be in here!" yelled a working monkey " We're still setting up explosives!"

Duke didn't listen as he continued to run, trying to avoid the two cops that were still on his tail. This he had stolen was precious and he needed to get it to his employer fast, or there would extra weasel meat for dinner tonight.

However, just when Duke thought he given both Judy and Nick the slip, a sudden yell stopped him in his tracks.

"Got ya!" said Judy, suddenly tackling the weasel down from the side.

She had taken a shortcut in order to get in close, and now her and Duke lay rolling around on the ground, accidently rolling over an active detonation switch that a hedgehog hadn't finished planting yet.

The sudden reaction from pushing the red button was instant and the building set to blow went too soon.

Nick immediately saw the danger, as did Judy, who quickly got herself and Duke out of there, as the workers ran as well. Nick was about to join his partner when he suddenly realized which way the crumbling tower would fall.

Made unstable from random implodes, the tower dropped just a few feet and started leaning over dangerously to the left, towards the entrance of a community park, in which a mother and son were standing at the gate.

"Look out!" yelled Nick, as he immediately ran to save the pair.

With a mighty push, Nick managed to get both antelopes into the park, before the tower collapsed, crushing the gate. A huge sigh of relief came out of the fox's mouth.

"That…was to close," Nick thought.

"Are you okay?" asked Nick, glancing towards the antelope pair.

The female antelope stood up, still shaken from her experience as she checked to see that her son was okay. Her eyes glanced towards Nick, mouth open to answer his question when another voice interfered.

"Oh my gosh!" shouted the voice of a frantic moose "Sora! Kyle! Are you two alright?"

"Yes Aunt Julie" said the mother antelope to this moose, then glanced over to Nick " this fox here…,"

"Fox!" said Aunt Julie, and immediately lunged towards Nick, swinging her purse " Get away from family you filthy beast! Untrustworthy scum!"

"Aunt Julie stop!" cried Sora, grabbing to hold back her aunt "He saved us from…,"

"What's going on here?" asked a voice as Judy suddenly appeared. Nick grinned in relief as he saw his partner.

"Hey Carrots" greeted Nick " glad you make it to the party."

"Heh" sighed Judy, looking towards the fox " what did you do this time?"

"Nothing" said Nick, pointing over to Sora and Kyle " just saved these two from nearly getting crushed, and then this crazy moose decided to attack me."

"Wait a minute" said Aunt Julie, instantly recognizing who Nick's partner was " you're Officer Judy Hopps aren't you, the one who solved that Night Howler case? Don't tell me that you actually work with this fiend!"

"He's not a fiend!" snapped Judy at the moose " He's my partner! And I think you should show a little more respect to an officer who just saved two of your family's lives."

"Respect a fox?" said Aunt Julie, unbelievingly " Never! You should just put a muzzle on him and be done with it! Blasted predator! Sora, Kyle, come on. We're late enough already."

With that said the moose moved on, while Sora and her son looked apologetically towards the two officers.

"I'm sorry," said Sora, and went to walk after her aunt.

As soon as the three were out of sight, Judy looked over to Nick with concern.

"Nick, are you okay?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh sure Carrots, I'm fine" Nick answered " So what happened to Duke?"

"I saw Officer McHorn right after the building blew" said Judy " He's holding Duke in his police cruiser right now. I came back to make sure you were okay."

"Me?" said Nick, a little smile beaming on his face " Of course! I laugh in the face of danger!"

Judy just giggled and elbowed Nick in the side. And he talked about her lines being corny.

A few hours later, their police shift was over, and Nick and Judy said their goodbyes at the station in order to split up and go home. There was an emptiness inside her heart as Judy said goodbye.

Although the apartment she was in wasn't pretty, it was still someplace to go after a hard day's work on the force. Nick's apartment wasn't much better.

Even though the fox had scrounged up enough legal money in order to rent it, it was located in a very bad area of town. Judy had visited it once and was really scared, suggesting that Nick could always come over and live at place.

But Nick denied it, saying that it wasn't right to crowd up her home.

"One day I'll get him out of there," thought Judy in her mind.

For now, she just labeled the task as impossible, and carried on home, to where her crazy neighbors were probably already yelling through the walls.

* * *

Nick whistled silently as he strolled back to his apartment complex. He knew what Judy had to be thinking as he left. But it wouldn't work for them sharing an apartment right now.

Since neither of them had the room to spare, and the fact that a fox living with a rabbit seemed bizarre, Nick thought he had a solid reason to defy the deal. However, maybe, just maybe, in the future, Nick would finally accept Judy's terms. But not now, especially after what had happened today.

That word again. That same, dreaded word that had haunted Nick ever since he was a little kid. Just the mere sound of it sent a shiver up his spine. Muzzle.

How dare that elderly moose say that he needed to be muzzled?

Just another Bellwether fan, Nick guessed, prey that thought the wee little sheep was incapable of doing such wrong. Did Nick really expect for all of Zootopia to change once the Night Howler case was solved?

The simple fact was, no matter what he and Judy did, no matter who they inspired, there would always be prejudice in the world. There would always be hate. There would always be doubt.

But even though that negative was still around, Nick had started walking on a brighter path, and immediately shook the hopeless thoughts from his mind.

All of a sudden, Nick got the feeling that he was being watched, and stared suspiciously into the dark. Evening had fallen fast during his walk, and Nick knew due his experience on the streets, whenever this dreadful feeling prickled at his fur, something dangerous was lurking nearby.

Not wanting to stick around and see what this danger was, Nick ran the last few feet to his apartment, opened the door, and locked himself behind the safety of the stone walls. A breath relief escaped from his mouth.

Whatever was lurking out there couldn't get to him now.

But for one unfortunate victim, somewhere else in Zootopia, there was nothing to be heard except for a horrible scream, as a vicious predator suddenly attacked an elderly moose and her family, biting into their flesh.


	3. Chapter 3: Rude Awakening

**Ch.3: Rude Awakening**

"Ring! Ring!" shrilled the telephone near 3 o'clock in the morning, disturbing the sleeping fox's rest.

"Ugh," groaned Nick, trying to block the sound out of his ears.

It felt like he had only been asleep for a few seconds before the phone decided to torture him with sound.

"What is it with people calling so late anyway" Nick thought in his head " This had better be an important call."

Lazily, the fox's hand reached out to grab the phone line, before lifting the receiver to his ears. A yawn paused in Nick's throat as his ears suddenly became rigid with alert at the sound of Judy's frantic voice on the other end.

Something urgent had just come up and he needed to leave...Now!

Confirming that he would be there, Nick hung up on Judy, and then ran to get dressed as quickly as he could. Slipping on his police uniform, and his fancy pair of shades, Nick dashed out the door and ran to go meet his partner at the scene of crime.

The most sinister of horrors had just occurred; assault and...murder.

* * *

Minutes later, Judy greeted Nick at the scene. After a brief, friendly hug, the rabbit pointed out to those who were attacked, and briefly explained about what she heard. Two injured, one casualty, and very familiar circumstances with the victims concerned.

It didn't take Nick long to figure out what those 'circumstances' were. Shock greeted his eyes when he spotted the very same antelope family he had saved earlier that day, torn and hurt, with their elderly moose aunt laying dead on the street.

Pain immediately welled up inside of Nick's heart. Even though he had no respect for the elderly moose, still steaming a bit about her comment for the 'muzzle', he had never wished for her to suffer this fate. Especially in front of family who loved and cared about her health.

Who knows what kind of horror those two antelope had seen? Murder was the most serious of all animal crimes, and even Mr. Big, the scariest crime boss Nick had ever met, considered it a great evil in his icy underworld.

"Come on," said Judy, pulling Nick to where Officer Wolford was busy comforting Sora and Kyle. Sora's eyes immediately lit up with a small amount of happiness once she saw Judy and Nick.

"Oh Officers thank goodness" said Sora " we're so glad that you're here."

"What happened?" asked Judy.

"Well" said Sora " after Officer Nick saved us at the park, me and Kyle went with my aunt to see musical playing at the amphitheater downtown. It was a great show, and we even stopped to go shopping and eat ice cream afterwards."

"After we realized how late it had been, we decided to go home. Everything seemed normal enough, when we were attacked suddenly in our walk. It went after me and Kyle first, clawing at us, trying to reach our throats. When my aunt tried to fight it she...,"

Sora said no more and just began to cry. Nick and Judy let her mourn, knowing that it was very difficult thing to confess. After a minute of silence, Judy looked at Sora and tried to ask something more.

"Did you see who it was?"

"No" cried the antelope " it was to dark to tell, and we were so frightened, trying to survive."

"Hey" said Wolford, having walked from the family to pick up something on the ground. His gaze turned towards Nick and Judy. " Guys, I think you need to see this."

Curious to what their comrade had found, Nick and Judy immediately walked over to read the piece of paper clutched in the wolf's hand. Their blood chilled as they read the words.

 ** _"This is just the warning. Predators and prey will never be at peace. I will destroy all of your hope, and the beacon of light that shines it."_**

* * *

Morning came, and with it, the unease of a new threat. Chief Bogo was not very pleased.

Releasing a frustrated sigh, the cape buffalo slowly put down the note Nick and Judy had given him from the murder scene. After the Night Howler case, he had prayed all these violent attacks in the city were finally over, but now it seemed like someone was trying to start them again, and the only motive clear was revenge.

"It has to be Bellwhether Sir" said Judy, as ticked as the Chief " she was the one who originally master-minded this scheme."

"Or someone copying her," said Bogo, looking towards the rabbit cop.

Nick stayed silent, but did admit was a possibility. After all, super-criminals rarely did the same crazy scheme twice.

"Besides" said Chief Bogo, glaring to soften Judy's stare " Ms. Bellwhether is still locked up within state prison. And there was no evidence linking any predator to the scene."

"But you don't doubt it was one?" said Nick.

Bogo didn't answer. Who else would have claws?

Unfortunately, news had already spread out there that there had been a murder, and the media was quick to make sure that all animals heard. The situation had caused a dramatic increase in fear, adding supporters to the free Ms. Bellwhether cause.

"Hmm" thought Nick, tapping his claw " that's a bit convenient. What if this was a set-up just to rally more support for that group?"

The thought made some disturbing sense.

Later, Nick decided that he and Judy needed to check up on that lead. But something still didn't feel right under the fur.

The words on that note...the hatred... Whoever had wrote that message had a personal score to settle with the world. And the beacon of hope...

Nick's heart sunk as he silently looked at Judy with concerned eyes.

Whatever the reason, both he and Judy's lives were now in danger, and Nick was determined to see that something terrible never happened to his partner.

Never!


	4. Chapter 4: Old Wounds

**Ch.4: Old Wounds**

The building that housed the supporters for the free Ms. Bellwether campaign looked as shoddy as Nick expected it to be. Tall, proud, and fashioned with distaste.

A sign stood posted on the front door that read 'Predators Go Home!'

Nick just took a deep breath and glared at that piece of paper. Him and Judy were about to defy that sign.

Putting on their professional police attitudes, Nick and Judy looked at each other, nodded, and strode confidently in through the front door.

As expected when they entered, this building was full with prey. Animals that had never had the word 'meat' before in their diet. To predators, they had used to be the meat, and maybe back then they might had have reason to fear. But these were different times now, things weren't like that anymore!

"Leave to Bellwether and her plot to make prey think they need to hide again," thought Nick.

"Okay" said Judy, looking around " I think the chairman's office should be this way…,"

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?!" suddenly spoke out a very harsh voice.

Nick and Judy looked up to see a massive rhino heading their way. His forehead crinkled as brown eyes glared. The glare was quickly focused on Nick. It didn't matter about him being a cop, being a predator alone was enough not to belong here.

The rhino was about to bounce them out, while Nick and Judy prepared for a fight, then, suddenly, a stern, female voice froze the whole ordeal.

"Ryhorn, Stop!" commanded a tall kinkajou as she descended the stairs. Her green eyes held power that was not to be ignored.

"Yes Madame Olivia," said the rhino before bowing in retreat.

It didn't take long for Judy and Nick to guess that this was the creature that they needed to speak. Although Nick felt that something was off the moment he looked at Olivia's eyes.

Eyes so hateful…so death-bringing…so…familiar? Nick gasped, as the kinkajou approached them and introduced herself.

"Olivia Vostamp, leader of this board."

"I knew it!" thought Nick, shaking a bit in fear " It's her!"

"Ah, I see someone recognizes me" said Olivia, catching onto Nick's fear " much has changed since the last time we saw each other Nick. Though don't believe once that I'll fall for your goody two-shoes façade. Scars don't easily. Of course, you would probably know that better than most."

Nick couldn't help it, he started hyper-ventilating a little.

"Nick are you okay?" asked Judy, shaking her partner's shoulder.

Nick quickly snapped out of his panicked state, not wanting to make Judy more concerned.

"So Olivia" Judy finally spoke up " I'm sure you've already heard about the murder that took place last night."

"Yes" said the kinkajou " Miss Julie…such a sad moment indeed. Such a valued member here, it's hard to see her go."

"Yeah" scoffed Nick hotly " I can just taste all of your concern."

Olivia glared, and Judy continued.

"Your organization seems to have boomed since then" said the rabbit " you wouldn't happen to know the cause behind Julie's…,"

"If you're saying I caused this little incident" Olivia interrupted " I'm afraid I can't honor your request. Why would prey set out to kill prey? We're not the vicious ones in this town."

"I think I can argue with that," said Nick.

"What you should have done" said Olivia, glaring at Nick " was learn your lesson years ago, and considered the consequences when you threw Ms. Bellwether in jail. It doesn't matter whether the public knows that it was a whole plot to empower prey. They still carry the fear. And sometimes fear can be more powerful than any gun."

"So you still deny you know nothing of this plot?" asked Judy.

"I don't" said Olivia " but I will offer you a piece of advice Ms. Hopps. Because although his kind are civilized, there's still savagery underneath. They were born to hunt and to kill. Even without the Night Howler's influence, every predator has their dark side."

* * *

"Ooo, I don't like her!" said Judy, once she and Nick exited the free Ms. Bellwether building.

"You and me both Carrots," said Nick.

"How do you know her anyway?" asked Judy, looking at Nick " It seemed like she was really familiar with you."

"She is," said Nick " She's connected to the time…the time I told you about before."

All at once, Judy's anger seemed to fade away, and her steps slowed down with concern. The time that Nick was talking about before was when the fox told her what had happened to him as a kit.

At that age, he had very excited to become the first official, predator member of the Junior Ranger Scouts. Everything they did seemed to be so good, so flawless, and he wanted to help out as best as he could.

However, little did he expect that little moment of joy, to turn into one of the most horrifying parts of his life.

Beaten, muzzled, that was how his fellow scouts had treated him. Laughing at his pain, and taking joy in the suffering they had managed to create.

Ever since then, Nick had been deeply scarred by that incident, even though he tried hard to keep it under wraps. He had opened up that wound to Judy a little when she was still a meter maid looking to fit in, and decided to open more now.

After all, they were friends, and she could understand about his pain. Plus, she should know just what kind of person Olivia really was.

So while they walked, Judy perked her ears to listen, as Nick explained that fateful night when scouts attacked him, he had confessed what had happened to his mother the next day.

She was not very pleased, and went to have a talk with the person in charge of that Junior Ranger Scout troupe. That had been Olivia, Olivia Vostamp.

Nick had stood outside the door while his mother argued with the kinkajou, and heard all of the vile comments about how predator and prey could never get along.

This had been a huge shock to Nick. The only reason Nick's mother moved to Zootopia before he was born, was believed that it was good thing that predator and prey had finally decided to put their differences aside and achieve peace.

However, not everyone held that special point of view, as determined by Olivia's speciest comments.

After that moment, Nick exchanged schools, continuing to learn how someone like him was still unwanted in this wide world. It was more than being just a predator, it was about his kind, as foxes were stereotyped as the trickiest animals in the world.

His frustration only grew until he finally met Finnick, who had also been rejected like him, and learned the art of the scheme. Growing into the master trickster everyone believed a fox should be.

Judy knew the story from there, and kept quiet for a few minutes after Nick had finished telling his tale. The poor rabbit didn't know what to think.

Nick had bored so much suffering in his life that Judy could barely grasp the full cusp of his pain. And now that they knew that the leader of the free Ms. Bellwether campaign was Olivia, the same Olivia that had ordered Nick's eight-year old assault, things looked like they would be taking a turn for the worse.


	5. Chapter 5: Dark Whispers

**Ch.5: Dark Whispers**

When Nick and Judy finally arrived back at HQ to tell Chief Bogo how their interview went, they found the buffalo to busy trying to calm down an irritated jackal, ranting about how the free Ms. Bellwether campaign was gaining to much support.

"They should all be balled and chained for supporting such lies!" the two officers heard the jackal shout.

"Who is this Chief Bogo?" asked Judy, feeling that she had to break the tension in the air. Chief Bogo smiled, relieved, to see that Judy and Nick had returned.

"Hopps, Wilde" said Bogo, quickly getting to the introductions " this is Mr. Razorfur. He was just sharing his opinion on the Bellwether group."

"So we could hear" said Nick looking at the jackal " So, I guess you're a member of the pro-peace thing correct?"

"Not really" said Razorfur " but I support some of their values. I wouldn't be surprised if this whole incident was just staged in order to gather more support for the Bellwether campaign."

The air went silent, and the jackal looked to see the agreeable suspicion burning in the cops eyes.

"So" he continued " you all must agree. Tell me, have you already gone and spoken with the head of the free Bellwether group?"

"Olivia Vostamp?" said Judy " Yes, we have."

"She's definitely the anti-predator type," said Nick.

"I see" said Razorfur " so you'll arrest her then?"

"We don't really have enough to connect someone that specific to this crime" Judy explained " Why would murder…,"

Before the rabbit could finish speaking her sentence, she interrupted by Clawhauser, who came in out of breath, holding a piece of paper in his claws.

"Uh" grunted the obese cheetah " Sorry to interrupt guys, but something important just came in on the fax machine I think you all need to see."

Curious to what it could be, Nick, Judy, and Chief Bogo looked down at the paper and began to read. Shivers crawled up their spines. The message read;

" _When I strike, their bodies will moan. Broken, dying, and alone._

 _Can you stop me? You got until six, before they join the River Stix."_

Nick looked at Judy with alarm.

"This is serious Carrots" said Nick " We need to find out what that message means and fast."

"Right" said Judy " there's no time to lose."

"Speaking of time" said Razorfur " you all come to the rally the peace protesters are hosting tonight. There will be a variety in delicious snacks. Anyway, I must go now. Bye bye."

With that said, the jackal left, and Judy and Nick quickly decided on what to do.

"I'll see what I can find out from the streets" said Nick " you talk to the victims and ask if they remember anything else."

"I will" said Judy " Be careful Nick."

"Always am Carrots" Nick smiled " Always am."

* * *

Later, down on the streets, screams could be heard as an angry fennec fox threw trash violently towards a cowardly skunk's head, who skittered and ran off like his very life was on the line.

"Yeah, that's it, run!" yelled Finnick, glad to see the pest go " That's what you get for stinking up my van you loser!"

"I wondering about the smell in here?" spoke out a familiar voice.

"Well, well, well" said Finnick, turning around in surprise to greet his new guest " if it isn't the cop? Here to arrest me officer for scaring off some creep?"

"You know me better than that Finnick" said Nick, taking off his sunglasses as he stepped out of Finnick's van. " Plus, I think that guy just did you a favor improving the odor of this thing."

"Don't even joke about it Nick!" growled Finnick " What are you doing back in the hood?"

"Having some trouble on a case" said Nick " figure you might be able to help me out with it."

"Depends" said Finnick " I mean, we are on opposite sides now."

"Just here me out anyway," said Nick, and began to explain what he and Judy had learned.

Finnick's ears pricked as he heard begin to explain his tale, starting from where he and Judy had arrived at the murder, to the mysterious notes, and an encounter at the free Ms. Bellwether building Nick did not expect to occur. Finnick nearly gasped when he heard Olivia's name.

"So she's back huh?" said Finnick " Sorry Nick. This situation has just gotten a whole lot worse. Not that I know anything mind you, but the Carrions have been showing a little bit of unrest lately. I fear they may be coming back."

"Those guys?" said Nick stunned " But they can't! They were driven out of Zootopia."

"Not anymore" said Finnick " they're coming, and rumor is that some have already infiltrated the city."

"Great" said Nick " more to worry about. Mysterious murderer, public unrest, and now the Carrions are coming back."

"Yeah" said Finnick " but I'll keep an eye on them. Olivia too. I owe you that much."

"Thanks" said Nick, shaking the little fox's hand " Guess I better contact Carrots and find out whether she found anything. We only got until six o'clock to stop this psycho's next attack."

"Six" mumbled Finnick for a moment, before stating out loud " Wait a minute! There's some kind of rally taking place by the river tonight. Maybe that's where you're murderer will be."

"Rally?" said Nick confused, before his expression quickly grew into alarm " If that's true then I got to inform Carrots right away. We have a protest to protect."


	6. Chapter 6: Shattered Peace

**Ch.6: Shattered Peace**

Soon, six o'clock came, and down by the river, located in an outside pavilion, the peace rally for the movement began.

Nick and Judy were amazed to see all of the animals in attendance. Predators and prey, sticking together as one, proving that there could be harmony among their kind.

Most of the animals gathered there recognized who Nick and Judy were right away, and spared a couple of seconds just walk over and talk with the officers, while the others either stopped or stared.

Judy was a little disturbed about all of the attention, after all she and Nick were on an important case. If Nick's prediction was right, this could be what the threatening note meant, and the entire peace rally could be in jeopardy.

They had to sure every predator and prey managed to make it out alive, and catch this fiend who thought he could get away with murder in their town.

"Well, well officers" said Mr. Razorfur, suddenly coming out of the crowd " I see you made it. Lady Jisara is about to speak in a few."

"We're glad to be here too Mr. Razorfur" said Judy " but the peace rally might be in danger because…"

Before the rabbit could finish, her speech was interrupted, as an announcement came from the floor stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen" boomed a tiger's voice out loud " Please allow me to introduce, the lovely Lady Jisara!"

Cheers rang out as a female leopard climbed onto the stage, her sapphire eyes burning bright, rivalling gemstones and stars.

"Thank you dear" said Jisara to the tiger, taking the mike out of his hand, and then turned to the quieting crowd.

"Good evening citizens of Zootopia" she called to continue " I'm so glad that so many of you could be here tonight. I'm sure that our founder, the famous popstar Gazelle, would be very proud of you all."

"Zootopia is a place where prey and predator should live in harmony. It doesn't matter if you were born with teeth or claws, hooves, or even wings. Because deep in our hearts, everyone is the same. Each one of us is special, and we must all fight to keep the peace."

"Yeah!" cheered the crowd, pumping their fists to Jisara's words.

"Ever since the Night Howler incident" said Jisara, her voice taking a somber tone " a rift has been torn between predator and prey. A rift that needs to mend! The free movement wants to keep that rift open. This cannot be allowed."

"No!" cheered the crowd. Nick just looked around in amaze. This Jisara was one powerful speaker.

"Ms. Bellwether does not deserve the right to be free!" Jisara growled " Zootopia, we need to do everything in our power to keep Ms. Bellwether in jail!"

"Yeah!" cheered the crowd.

"Uh oh" said Judy to Nick " this could get bad fast."

Just as Carrots said that, the lights suddenly went out, and a thunderous roar could be heard breaking through the dark. Screams of terror and panic soon followed, but before either Nick or Judy could take action, they were separated by the surging mob, getting lost in the chaos of the crowd.

"Carrots! Judy!" Nick called as he got pushed away, as he quickly looked for a place where he could safely stand.

"Good thing I have some night vision," thought Nick, quickly focusing his eyes.

Slowly, the night world became more clear, and Nick could now define the bodies running around him in a panicked state. There were some figures that weren't running, and instead caused the panic to increase.

Nick watched in horror as one of these mysterious sunk its teeth and claws right into body of a goat.

"Predators" Nick thought " but who are they?"

Before Nick could even begin to look around for an answer, something hard suddenly hit him on the back of his head, and he passed out, stone cold on the floor.


	7. Chapter 7: Lair of the Carrion

**Ch.7: Lair of the Carrion**

Chaos screamed from everywhere as Judy tried to focus herself in the crowd. Nick was lost and the rally was under attack, torn apart by vicious predators that proved to be very difficult to see in the dim light.

Judy's paw passed across her belt, knowing that her tranquilizer gun lay there, useless. With this much panic, if she fired a dart, she could accidently wind up shooting a innocent citizen instead of successfully stopping the threat.

No doubt Nick, wherever he was, was facing this exact same problem as well.

"Help! Help!" suddenly cried out Lady Jisara's voice as two mad-looking coyotes jumped up on stage, on all fours, growling and snapping at the leopardess, eager to tear a bite off of her flesh.

Cop instincts kicking in, Judy immediately jumped and started hopping across the heads of the panicked crowd to reach the stage in time, her hand drawing out her tranquilizer gun as she leapt.

Bam! Soon, one of the coyotes was shot and went down with a poof. The other one turned and growled at the rabbit, shining out his lethal fangs.

Judy smiled with confidence as she readied her gun to take a second shot when a sharp howl suddenly cut through the night air.

All of the attacking predators suddenly quieted and came to a stop, before turning around to run in whatever direction they came.

Judy stood confused as the ZPD showed up not to long afterward, having received an emergency call from one of the animals at the rally that things had gone horribly wrong.

Chief Bogo stepped out of the first police car and observed the scene. Immediately, the buffalo directed most of his officers to go calm down the citizens, and tend to the wounded before the ambulances arrived.

Then, Bogo spotted Ms. Hopps, and immediately went over to her to talk.

"It seems like you and Wilde were right about the attack being here" he told the rabbit " Although, it appears the threat is larger than we thought."

"Yes," said Judy concerned.

Not just one predator, but dozens, attacking an event that was meant for peace. And not one of them seemed to be disturbed by a Night Howler plague.

There was intelligence in their eyes when they killed, murder there. Whoever had attacked this event clearly was thrilled to savor a hunt.

After briefly explaining things to the Chief, Judy moved over to let the buffalo take the coyote she had knocked out into custody, while she ran off to search for her partner, Nick.

"Nick! Nick!" the rabbit called out, looking everywhere for the fox.

No answer came to her, and Judy couldn't spot him anywhere in sight. Worry filled up her soul.

Where could Nick be? And more importantly, was he alright?

* * *

"Ugh," Nick groaned, as he slowly found himself waking back up in the real world " What happened to me? The last thing I remember I…,"

His mind flash-backed to all of the chaos that happened back at the rally.

That's right, the rally had been under attack! He was trying to find Judy before some force knocked him out cold from behind.

"I've been captured" Nick thought in realization " but where…"

The fox's question was suddenly interrupted when a dark voice spoke.

"Long time no see Nick."

Nick's ears immediately twitched in recognition, as he turned around to see the owner of that tone. His green eyes widened a bit with surprise and fear, as he looked towards the maned wolf standing eerily in the dim light.

"Foxheart," Nick breathed.

"Yes" said the wolf " Welcome back Carrion."

* * *

Meanwhile at the ZPD police station, Judy was making her way towards the interrogation room, now that Chief Bogo had cleared the coyote suspect for questioning. Hopefully this crook would have more information on just why the peace rally was attacked, and just possibly where Nick could be.

The fox officer was still nowhere to be found, and Judy only hoped that Nick would be alright. She needed her partner now more than ever to help solve this case, especially now since the protests were at war.

Like a pack of hungry sharks, the media were quick to broadcast the terrible attack that took place last night, and after that, chaos followed.

Olivia Vostamp was standing strong in her anti-predator argument, saying that last night's attack proves that predators are nothing more than vicious beasts, and should all be locked away and caged.

The peace protest was quick to refute against its rival, saying that Olivia and her movement must have staged the whole thing to gather more support to free Bellwether.

Their theory was that somehow Olivia must have snuck the Night Howler back into Zootopia, captured a few predators and made them crazed, before releasing them to attack helpless lives.

It didn't matter whether or not that the very first victim of this assault proved to be originally from Olivia's movement. They probably saw her as a sacrificial pawn, to spread fear where it would benefit them most.

Judy was almost inclined to agree with the peace protest's theory that Olivia could have planned the whole attack, but the mystery of her recent suspect seemed to tune that out.

Before the unconscious coyote had been incarcerated, Chief Bogo made sure to order in a full medical examination, fearing too that the Night Howler had also returned to Zootopia.

It was both a relief and shock to discover that the evil blossom had not been found anywhere in the coyote's system. Relief because the Night Howler didn't seem to be returning to Zootopia, but shock because that meant, the coyote attacked of his own will.

Fear shivering up and down her spine, Judy composed herself for a second, standing outside the interrogation door, before finally gathering the courage to turn the knob and walk inside.

The coyote was there, chained up and sitting at the table, his cold eyes glaring in the dim light. He was not intimidated at all that Judy was there. The little rabbit was more like a snack to him than a cop.

Judy took her seat and glanced back at the coyote, adopting a professional pose before she began to speak.

"Alright, let's get started then shall we?" said Judy " Who are you?"

The coyote just growled. Judy repeated her last question.

"Who are you?"

"I'm not talking to you cop," said the coyote.

"Why did you attack the rally?" Judy asked.

"For the thrill of course," the coyote said.

"The thrill?" asked Judy.

"Yes" said the coyote " it's only natural for a predator to hunt and kill prey."

"Natural?" said Judy appalled " You and your gang of friends have hurt hundreds of innocents, and caused Zootopia to divide into chaos!"

"None worse than you and Bellwether did" said the coyote "declaring all us predators a savage lot. I bet your 'partner' didn't like that statement one bit. I'm surprised that he forgave you and came back to join the force."

Judy was silent for a moment, not liking to think about that day. The hurt look on Nick's face when she pretty much announced that every predator was just a killer waiting to be unleashed to the press, still brought guilt to her mind.

She didn't even have any evidence back then to support such a claim, and the city was divided just like it was now. She had to find a way to make the citizens of Zootopia reunite again.

"I still regret that day" Judy told the coyote " I was blind back then. But Nick is a great partner and friend, and I'm glad to have at my side."

"So were we," said the coyote.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Judy.

"Nick used to be one of us" said the coyote " following in his father's claws."

"His father?" asked Judy confused.

"Yes, his father" said the coyote with a grin " but I guess Nick never told you did he? His father, the Carrion."

* * *

Meanwhile, where Nick was, he still couldn't believe that Foxheart still stood before him. The maned wolf hadn't been seen around in Zootpia for a long time. And Nick hoped, that some way, he would never have to see Foxheart again.

Well, he was wrong today. He had been taken back to Foxheart's lair, the lair of the Carrions.

"So it was you who attacked the rally!" said Nick with a glare.

"Yes" said the maned wolf " We were requested to attack, and you know my flesh-eaters were begging for carcass and bone."

"Who 'requested' you?" said Nick " And why did you capture me?"

"Because despite being a traitor you may be worth a second chance" said Foxheart " Plus, my 'employer' and I agree that everything you and Judy represent should be destroyed."

"If you hurt her I'll…," Nick started to growl, before being interrupted by the wolf.

"You'll do nothing Nick" Foxheart snapped " except follow orders and bow under my claws."


	8. Chapter 8: Hatred's Spark

**Ch.8: Hatred's Spark**

History repeats, this was a philosophy Foxheart had truly come to believe. Like everyone else, he had held high hopes for the city of Zootopia when it was first being founded. Predator and prey, living together in harmony, it seemed like a dream to impossible to come true.

And that's exactly how it turned out to be. The moment the city was made, not everyone's heart would settle for peace.

A spark of hatred still burned eternally between predator and prey, leading to distrust among certain species, which spread like a plague, infecting others with the hateful stereotypes as well.

Stereotypes prey animals used to demean what once was their greatest fear.

The flesh-eaters were the first to suffer, those who could only knaw away the dead. They were seen as deeply unrespectful towards the living, and accused of plotting ways so that they could eat their fill.

The hatred grew and only followed, continuing on its destructive course. Foxheart slowly saw the city rotting into decay. And when his best friend was insulted, that was the final straw.

Foxheart took his first bite out of prejudice, and the blood felt good on his lips.

After that, he gathered what vengeful victims he could find, and formed the Carrions, striking back against the city with a violent plague.

Terror mounted through the streets, as everyone knew what came to fear.

Foxheart only wished his reign could have lasted longer, only for Nick to turn on him and cast them out, with his own little gang. Well, now the fox was back in his control, and with the help of their 'employer' Zootopia would soon witness the return of the Carrions reign.

Speaking of the 'employer', Foxheart wondered just what was going through his head by lurking in the dark. That cold, yellow stare still sent shivers through the maned wolf's soul.

The mysterious figure had approached him one day, asking if Foxheart would like to assist in destroying Zootopia's hope.

Foxheart had agreed, but deep in his mind, something told him that he should be weary of this deal. The two may have similar goals, but who knew what plans this beast truly had in mind? Or, if anyone in Zootopia would be able to survive it?

* * *

Meanwhile, down in the city, officer Judy Hopps sighed as she walked down the street, clearing her mind of the confusion that was taking form. The coyote's cryptic statements were still darkly in her ears.

Nick, the Carrions, his father…What could all of this mean?

In her heart, Judy wished that this situation was more like the Night Howler case from before. That Olivia Vostamp would prove to be just like Bellwether, and hold responsibility for all these predators going bad.

But that theory wouldn't hold if the predators committing these acts were willfully attacking prey.

"There's more to this story that I need to know" thought Judy in her mind " and only one person I can think of who might have the answer."

With that thought in place, Judy finally stopped in front of her destination, and walked over to place a knock on the door. Seconds later, a beautiful, middle-aged vixen answered.

"Ms. Wilde" said Judy " I would like to ask you a few questions please."

"Sure, come on in," said the fox, allowing the bunny to step inside.

Minutes later, Judy found herself sitting inside of a comfortable living room, being offered tea, as Nick's mom came to sit across from her on a couch.

This was the first time the rabbit officer had truly ever visited Nick's old home. Ms. Wilde certainly kept the place well.

Inside her heart, Judy regretted the words she was about to say, but she knew that she had to say them.

Taking a zip of her tea, before putting her cup down, Judy looked at Ms. Wilde and asked…

"Tell me about the Carrion,"

To say that Ms. Wilde was shocked was an understatement, as she looked at Judy with surprise, wondering how the rabbit could know that her family had been connected to the Carrions in any way.

Carefully, Judy explained how she had come to learn this from a coyote, which immediately calmed Nick's mom down, but you could see through her fur that she was still disturbed, unwilling to reflect upon the past.

"Please" Judy begged, concern pleading in her violet eyes " I need to know."

"Heh," sighed Ms. Wilde, and then she began to explain.

Before Nick was ever born, his father made best friends with a maned wolf named Foxheart. The two were almost an inseparable duo once the Wilde family had moved in.

They did everything together; hung out, had fun, laugh at fish. But then, one day, things changed, as Foxheart wound up in jail for defending Nick's dad, when a rotten bull decided to push him to the ground.

Foxheart went mad, and nearly ripped the bull to shreds with his fangs and claws. Blood stained his fox-colored fur, and it was all the Wilde's could do to not be scared at this dark side of their friend.

Mr. Wilde visited Foxheart while he was in jail, and the maned wolf's dark attitude only seemed to get darker as time went on.

He started saying things about the flaws of Zootopia, how predators were never meant to live in harmony with prey. That no matter what they did, predators would never be trusted. They were never allowed to be anything else than what they are.

A monster, waiting to be muzzled and caged. A part of the world that some wished, never did ever exist.

Slowly, as the days went by to Foxheart's release, Mr. Wilde began to believe these views, and helped the wolf form the Carrions once he was finally free from jail.

Nick was born then, and Mrs. Wilde worried as her husband delved deeper and deeper into his animal side.

Reports were starting to show up on the news, about mysterious deaths and disappearances that no one could solve. Like some dark angel had suddenly decided to walk the streets, snatching away victims, one by one.

Prey or predator, no one was spared, and Mrs. Wilde grew more concerned about her husband.

Nick was about three years old when she finally decided to confront him, begging him to leave Foxheart and his distorted views behind.

Needless to say, Mr. Wilde did not take the argument well, and their voices soon rose to a fury. After that, the biggest shock came, when Mr. Wilde viciously clawed Mrs. Wilde's cheek.

All was silent in that moment, as the shock came in over them both. Mrs. Wilde lay down on the floor, her eyes sobbing with pain and tears, while Mr. Wilde looked from her to his claws, staring at them in horror.

Giving her one last look, Mr. Wilde turned and fled, vanishing back into the night, while Mrs. Wilde got up in order to treat her wounds.

Her husband never returned, and he stayed missing until that day.

"I don't whether if he's alive or dead" said Mrs. Wilde to Judy " or even if he left with the Carrions when they vanished from Zootopia some years ago. But if they've come back…Please be careful when confronting them Judy. Foxheart will not hesitate to kill."

"I will," said Judy, and reluctantly stumbled into her next question " Did Nick ever know that his father was a Carrion?"

"No" said Mrs. Wilde " I've kept that secret from him for many years. Nick will never know about the monster his father had become."

Later, Judy Hopps left the residence, feeling slightly less disturbed about what she had learned about Foxheart's gang.

Now she had a story, but still had nowhere to start. No source on street to tell her where the Carrions could have taken Nick or…

A light suddenly bulbed inside in her head when she realized that she did have a source, and she immediately sprinted down the street to find his van.

If there was anyone who knew where the Carrions would be, Finnick would. She only hoped the little fox was in a decent mood.


	9. Chapter 9: Trapped In Blood

**Ch.9: Trapped In Blood**

"Grr! Grr!" grunted Nick, as he violently tugged away at the chain binding his leg to the floor.

Not long after Foxheart had spoken to him, the maned wolf had Nick dragged away and locked in a cage. The chain was there to serve as an extra precaution, making sure the sly fox didn't pull any tricks to escape.

"I have to figure a way out of here," thought Nick in his mind.

He didn't know what Foxheart had planned, but knew it couldn't be good for the citizens of Zootopia kind. And this 'employer' he claimed to have sounded every bit as dangerous too.

"What mad man would employ the Carrions?" thought Nick " And why do I have a bad feeling I know how this is all going to end?"

"Having troubles here Nicky?" called out a sweet voice as a female serval suddenly entered the room. Nick recognized her right away, eyes widening with shock.

"Kenya Stone," Nick said in disbelief.

"Yes, surprising isn't it?" said the serval " I've changed much over my years on the streets. And you changed too. Police officer? Nice."

Nick just glared. It had been a long time since he had seen Kenya, and it was clear that the serval was still just as every bit as deceptive and seductive as she was in the past.

To think, that a long time ago, Nick actually thought he was developing a slight crush on her. Finnick had warned him about falling for the serval's ploy, but Nick find out the hard way, and know was not a person you should easily trust.

Still, for one of the most successful thieves and schemers in the underground trade, and a virtual backstabber to anyone who didn't play along with her ploys, it was strange to see Kenya here, hanging out amongst the Carrions.

These guys were killers, with no other business than to mess up the delicate balance between predator and prey. Why would Kenya join up with them?

Whatever the reason, the serval must have had her own villainous scheme, and Nick was sure that whatever it was, things wouldn't turn well for Zootopia.

"Oh" said Kenya, noticing Nick's glare " I hoped that you would be more happy to see. After all, when I came back and found out about all this tension between predator and prey, I just had to see what valuable opportunities arose."

"What are you doing here Kenya?" asked Nick.

"For now nothing to serious" said the serval, her blue eyes flashing for a second as they shifted in the light " mainly doing spy work to keep the Carrions and their 'employer' informed. Quite a mysterious character you see. Not even Foxheart has fully glimpsed of him."

"Anyway" she continued " things seem to be moving in the direction we want it to go. However, the beacon of light just needs to be quenched."

"What are you talking about?" said Nick.

"Oh you'll see Nick" said Kenya " or rather your partner will find out soon enough. You've grown to be very close haven't you? Become the hope that this city needs? Well time to make amends to that. It's been a long time since I could hunt."

* * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Zootopia, Judy breathed out a sigh of relief as she finally located Finnick's van and spotted the little fox grumbling angrily as he scrubbed the back of his vehicle hard with a sponge.

"Grr!" Finnick growled, squeezing the sponge back and forth " Third time I've washed this thing and the smell still won't come out!"

"Excuse me…," said Judy cautiously, not wanting to irritate the fox's nasty mood.

"What!" Finnick said, turning around, then shifted to calm annoyance when he saw Judy " Oh it's you. Must be cop season around here. First Nick, now you. What do you want toots? I'm kind of busy."

"I think the Carrions took Nick" said Judy " I need to find out where they're hiding, now!"

That statement actually caused Finnick to pause and stare at the rabbit for a bit.

"The Carrions huh?" said Finnick once he recovered " You think they've got Nick? Foxheart, huh! I knew that he wouldn't stay gone for long."

"Can you tell me where they are?" asked Judy.

"Hey, I've only had about a day to gather some intel" said Finnick " but the rumor is the Carrions may be hanging back in there old hideout, underground, where the bats are, a place that never sees very much light."

"Nocturnal World," said Judy, remembering the zone back from her training days.

While in the police academy, newbies had to learn about all the different sections of Zootopia and prove they were able to survive them before being assigned a job. Some areas were highly covered, while some were only giving minor time in the spotlight.

Nocturnal World was one of those places, since it was mostly bats living there, and it didn't have as high a crime rate as other parts in the city.

It was very rare when a police officer got a chase which would require them to head underground.

"It's going to be tough navigating through there" said Judy " but if that's where the Carrions are and Nick, I have to go."

""Hold a minute!' said Finnick " Those guys are dangerous! Especially around prey! You'll be lucky survive the moment you even step into their front door."

"I'll take my chances" said Judy " If I can handle a snob like Olivia, I'm sure I can handle Foxheart."

"Foxheart and Olivia are two separate people" said Finnick, with a glare " Don't underestimate anyone with a mind sick enough to carry on these schemes. It might be the last thought you ever have."

* * *

Meanwhile, sitting deep in the dark of the Carrions lair, Foxheart's employer grinned, maliciously showing off his gleaming white teeth that everything seemed to be going exactly as planned.

The fox had been captured, the separation of the city was in full bloom, but there was still some matters left to be resolved.

The rabbit for one. If Miss Kenya failed to accomplish her task, then that was simply to bad for the serval's life. He didn't trust her the moment the female asked to be involved anyway, and Judy Hopps would certainly meet her end, if not by Kenya, then by his own claws.

Although he hoped to convince a certain someone else's claws to violently do the tearing.

The only problem was that Foxheart wanted him clearly for revenge. The maned wolf may have savage potential, but his mind to small to consider an even bigger scheme.

Revenge was one thing, but to truly cause fear, you must let go of all your emotions and release the real animal inside. The monster that nature designed you to become. The terror that was meant to destroy, hunt, and kill.

Predators would always be that terror, and prey would always hold the fear.

The thoughts of screams and blood filled the animal's mind, and the mysterious beast just laughed.


	10. Chapter 10: Dark Visions

**Ch.10: Dark Visions**

If the situation right now wasn't so serious, Judy might have actually enjoyed seeing Nocturnal World for the first time.

This underground section of Zootopia was made out of one huge, red rock cavern, with tunnels spread out to different chambers that were difficult to see in the dark. Fortunately, torches glowed on the wall every few feet or so to provide light for those who didn't have night vision in their genes.

Judy was glad that she had convinced Finnick to come along. Not only could he see in the dark, but he knew these tunnels, and knew exactly where the Carrion headquarters would be.

"I should have called for backup" thought Judy " but there's no time to waste. The longer Nick is down here, the more danger he's in. Besides, Chief Bogo and the rest of the ZPD still have to attend to the division up there. I can't afford to wait."

"Almost there," said Finnick, urging Judy to follow along, before suddenly stopping his feet cold. " Stop. We're here."

Following where the fox pointed his little finger down, Judy could see that indeed that they had finally arrived at the Carrions lair.

Formed into the shape of a spooky palace, this eerie part of the caverns glowed with unnatural light as fire burned up from cracks in the floor, bathing the whole area in a ghoulish, orange glow.

Predators of nearly every type stood up gathered near a ledge where Foxheart stood strong, with a helpless Nick standing by his side, yanking at the chain holding him bound.

Judy's heart nearly broke when she saw the sad situation her partner was stuck in.

"I have to get him out of there somehow," she thought.

But before the rabbit could even think to make a move, Finnick ushered her to be quiet and listen. Foxheart was looking at the crowd now, the maned wolf was about to speak.

"Carrions" stated Foxheart " the time to punish Zootopia is close at hand. For too long, predators in this world have been feared and hated by prey kind. They think because there are more of them, they should be the superior ones in this world. No. Justice for prejudice. We will make them pay for their mistakes."

"Yeah!" shouted the crowd, and Judy felt a slight twitch in her ear.

"As for you traitor" said Foxheart, turning towards Nick " the time for you end will come soon enough. The hunter is already after your rabbit friend, and once we destroy the place where all the haters have gathered, the Carrions will rule all."

"Yes" spoke out a voice " things will soon return to their natural order."

That's when Foxheart's 'employer' decided suddenly to appear, stepping out of the shadows for the first time, as he padded up towards Foxheart, joining the wolf on the ledge.

Everyone in the room gasped at the creature's appearance, backing away if they could, hearts filling with fear. Finnick and Judy understood their terror, they had never seen a beast like this.

It looked like a tiger, but it was larger than any tiger Judy had ever seen. Its canines were huge, and its fur pitch black. Fierce, yellow eyes burned from out of his skull, and his body looked lean and powerful, ready to rip anybody apart.

"Ah fear" said the predator, when he noticed the looks in everyone's eyes " I have seen that look many times, even from my own kin. They were right to fear me, just as Zootopia now fears you."

"The Night Howlers were a catalyst for this 'peaceful' world to become divided and strained. But the world has always caused more suffering to our kind. I understand this pain better than most, and will make sure the prey will pay for their punishment of predators. Now and in the past."

"No" thought Judy in her mind " I have to find a way to stop this before…Omph!"

Before Judy even knew it, she was suddenly tackled from behind, and then rolled down to where the Carrions stood. Claws dug sharply into her sides, making her scream in pain, as a feral hiss screeched into her ears, loud and mean.

"Kenya!" shouted Nick, as soon as he saw Judy pinned beneath the serval's claws. Anger rose up from under his fur, that he helpless to help his partner escape.

Fortunately for Nick, at that moment, the mysterious creature who had spoke called out "Stop!", and Kenya let go, leaving Judy lying in pain on the floor.

Nick let out a sigh of relief, glad that his partner was okay, but then let out a gasp as another Carrion brought Finnick down from his hiding, and flung the fox near Judy.

"Well, well" said the mysterious creature to their guests " prey has arrived."

* * *

Meanwhile, up on the surface, in Zootopia, Chief Bogo was very frustrated, trying to find a solution to calm down all this chaos, as predator and prey continued to select boundaries and sides.

The Bellwhether movement, and the angry peace protest were beginning to drive him insane.

Releasing a deep sigh, the buffalo hoped that Officer Hopps was having better luck than he did right now. If she could find the Carrions and rescue Nick, hopefully everything would be alright in the end.

But hope was a hard fought battle, and they would need even more ammo in the cannon if they were going to win.

Just then, Clawhauser called in, saying that Chief Bogo had a visitor. Although reluctant, Chief Bogo gave permission for the visitor to be sent on in. Maybe fielding a complaint from a normal citizen would help ease the worries on his mind.

Moments later, the door opened, and a small sheep walked in, old scars visible on her arm and legs, as she came to sit down before the Chief. Chief Bogo tried to hide his shock at the little, sheep's appearance, and waited for the lamb to speak.

"Thank you for seeing me Sir," said the lamb.

"My pleasure mam" said Chief Bogo " and you are?"

"Gloria Sir" said the lamb " Gloria Bellwhether. You and I have something to discuss."


	11. Chapter 11: A Monster's Rage

**Ch.11: A Monster's Rage**

Nick was worried now more than ever since he got caught and woke up inside of the Carrions lair.

Carrots! What was she doing here?!

"Coming to rescue me of course," thought Nick, wishing for a moment that the bunny wasn't so good at her job.

Now both of their lives were in danger, and Finnick's too, since he had helped lead Judy down here in the first place.

"What are they going to do to us?" thought Nick, and wondered for a moment where the vile predators had locked his friends.

Once Finnick and Judy had been exposed by Kenya, the Carrions pounced, quickly capturing them and dragging them away into the unknown. Nick was forced to follow Foxheart and his 'friend', this monstrous tiger who looked like he could tear apart anyone with a single blow.

"The time has come" said the tiger to Foxheart " Go with your men and complete the plan. I shall keep watch on Nick."

"Just don't kill him alright?" said Foxheart " I plan to have my own revenge."

"Very well," said the tiger, and Nick's chain was left in his hands.

Giving one last look before departure, Foxheart walked out, leaving Nick and his tiger ally alone.

"Foolish wolf" spoke the tiger, as soon as he was gone " As if killing you would make any difference to what's about to unfold."

"What are you talking about?" asked Nick " Who are you anyway?"

"You" said the tiger, deciding to answer the second question first " may call me Darkness."

"Darkness?" said Nick confused.

"Yes" said the tiger " a suitable name for a mistake that was never supposed to be born. I am old Nick, born in the times before Zootopia ever came to be. A cross between a lion and a tiger, despised by both predator and prey, and enhanced by Mister Razorfur to be the most deadly predator anyone has ever seen."

"Razorfur works for you?" said Nick, recalling the wiry jackal " But why…,"

"It's a long story" Darkness interrupted " so listen and learn…,"

* * *

 _In a time where integration was first introduced, I was the result of a forbidden marriage between a lion and a tiger pair. To keep me safe from the disdain of both predator and prey alike, my mother and father raised me secretly, keeping me hidden as best they could._

 _I was never to go outside without supervision, and never to travel anywhere if they had leave for a trip or go to town._

 _I got tired of being locked up inside of the house like a prisoner, so secretly, one day, I decided to slip outside and head into the town my parents never wanted me to see._

 _Keeping to the shadows, I stayed hidden, and was amazed by the first few wonders I saw. Everything was so amazing here. Maybe this is where I could make some friends._

 _My joy was interrupted however when I heard a noise coming from the other side of a nearby fence. There was a hole in the fence line, and I quickly put my eyes up to it so that I could see. It was there when I was first exposed to the horrors of animal kind._

 _Prey picking on predators and them being helpless to defend. The two lynxes, a brother and a sister, lay bruised on the ground, being bullied by two tall deer, a teen and an adult. Pure cruelty glowed in their eyes. They enjoyed watching their victims suffer._

 _The brother lynx was brave, trying to defend his sister at all costs, but thanks to a pretty collar around his neck, he was electrified to the ground_ _._

 _Tame collars I later learned, meant to discourage us from our abandoned predatory instincts, but it was just another means of prejudice, control._

 _When the brother lynx was electrified, I couldn't stay hidden any longer, and I attacked, lashing out at the deer. My claws unsheathed, I slashed them apart, and blood stained my fur._

 _The tormentors were gone, but horror still lit up in the sister lynx's eyes when she ran to her brother's aid. The first thing I saw in her eyes was fear, a fear of me. Her brother looked up stunned, reflecting her terror._

 _Before I had time to process their reactions, the town came alive, having heard the screams of the two deer that I had just killed._

 _The first police officer I saw was a tiger, just like my mother, only he too had the misfortune of having a tame collar around his neck. His eyes went wide when he saw me, and the tranquilizer gun shook in his hands._

" _Monster!" called out his fellow officers once they arrived, and they started shooting at me, forcing me to race back for home._

 _I was young, scared, home was the only safe I thought I could be. Turns out while I've been in town my parents had arrived, and were frightened when they saw I wasn't there. When they me running up, they got spooked, ran inside, and locked me out of the house._

 _I clawed at the door begging, pleading to be let in. They never did and police came, tranquilizing me, and put me in jail._

 _The next day, in the jail cell, I watched my parents come in being questioned by the police. They denied that they were together, knowing that they would be in trouble if they didn't. And they denied knowing me, claiming that I was a freak, a monster._

 _My hatred burned, flaring into rage._

 _I was sent away to rot in prison, and ended up meeting someone else who had also been wronged. Razorfur, much like me he had been mistreated, and shared a deep hatred for his past. Even though he trying to be better, his hatred for the world burned, and when I suggested a partnership, he happily agreed._

 _One massacre later, we took over the prison, and Razorfur began to experiment on me, turning me into the beast I am right now. I am no longer just the offspring of a lion and a tiger, I am a monster. A monster that brings chaos wherever he steps._

 _And the first thing I did for revenge was go back to the town who wronged me and made sure no one, not even my parents, left there alive._

* * *

"That's terrible," Nick balked as soon as the story was over.

"That's nature's way," said Darkness " Chaos is order. Peace is a failing dream, and I will not let you or the rabbit entice it. War shall reign above, but the first light of hope dies here. And you Nick, will extinguish that flame."


	12. Chapter 12: City Chaos

**Ch.12: City Chaos**

Up in the city of Zootopia, the division between predator and prey was still ringing clear. The contention between Jisara and Olivia's groups, were forcing animals to take sides. Chief Bogo and his officers would do anything to stop to the conflict. Could Bellwether's sister, Gloria, possibly be the key?

A little while ago, the little lamb had entered Chief Bogo's office, requesting permission to speak in front of the angry crowd. Chief Bogo wasn't so sure it was a good idea, but Gloria had been insistent, and he eventually caved.

All officers were on high alert as they surrounded the podium where Gloria would speak. Soon, the little lamb to her position on the stage, and called attention to everyone who gasped when she met their sight.

"Ma…Marie Bellwether?" spoke a lioness.

"No" said Gloria " not Marie Bellwether. My name is Gloria. I am the sister to Marie Bellwether, but I do not speak to set her free. I only wish for all of this chaos to stop."

"Why?" asked a wolf " Don't you share her views?"

"No" said Gloria " I never supported her ideas. The Night Howler incident was disgraceful, and caused tons of harm to both predator and prey. This is Zootopia. Things shouldn't be like that anymore. My sister, for her crime, should continue serving her sentence. And this prejudice between predator and prey must end."

"Hmph, nice try" said Olivia " but you can't change people's minds that easily."

"I agree," said a voice, surprising the whole crowd.

As one, all the animals turned to see this new speaker, and gasped as they saw Foxheart and his Carrions, crowded on top of a balcony's edge.

"Peace will never exist" said Foxheart " There will always be prejudice. But if one race should stand above, it's predators, not prey. Carrions, attack!"

With that said, Foxheart and his group lunged.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the Carrion's lair, Nick grunted as he was pushed into a chamber-like arena by Darkness, and the tiger walked away, grinning, as he sealed the fox inside. Whatever the cat had planned, there was no way out, and Nick knew that it was hopeless to escape.

However, it didn't take long for Nick to discover that he wasn't the only one stuck in this chamber, as he looked up to the sound of curses being thrown as Finnick savagely struggled to get himself out from a cage. Standing nearby, a smirking jackal stood laughing with pleasure at the little fox, before his gaze turned down on Nick.

"Well, well, well, it seems as if our guest had arrived."

"Razorfur!" growled Nick " What is the meaning of this?"

"A great experiment" said Razorfur " A reckoning. The death of hope. Behold, your beloved partner."

With that said, a door raised, allowing a savage Judy to be seen. The female rabbit was now raving and mad, paws down on all fours, as she looked ready to attack anyone who dared wonder to close.

Nick was shocked all over with disgust and fear. What had these vile monsters done to Carrots?

"She put up some marvelous resistance" said Razorfur " You would have been proud to see her fight."

"How?" growled Nick, glaring up at Razorfur " How could you do this?! The Night Howlers are supposed to be gone!"

"Which only makes them more valuable in the underworld" grinned the jackal " and you really think that a scientist like me couldn't recreate the same formula?"

Nick's fury was at a boiling point, making his hackles rise.

"Yes, use that rage" said Razorfur " You're going to need it in order to survive. Now, Judy Hopps, attack!"

And with that said, a lever was pulled releasing the barrier between Judy and Nick, allowing the rabbit to run at full charge, teeth out and ready to bite, ready to kill.


	13. Chapter 13: The Animal Unleashed

**Ch.13: The Animal Unleashed**

Finnick balked, turning away from the violence as the blood match began down below. Razorfur's laughter echoed through his ears.

"I hope that Nick is going to be alright," thought the fox.

Finnick knew that without a doubt that Nick would never hurt his partner, but Judy wasn't herself anymore. The rabbit had been made crazy! All because of him!

When Darkness had escorted Nick away in order to talk, Finnick and Judy immediately found themselves dragged into Razorfur's lab. Finnick was instantly locked up in a cage, while the predators holding Judy forcibly strapped her down to a lab table lying in the center of the room.

Immediately, the rabbit fought with all her might, struggling to break, but she was no match for the strength of her captors and was eventually forced to submit to her binds.

Once Judy was strapped down, her handlers left, leaving the cop, Razorfur, and Finnick all alone in the lab.

Judy glared at Razorfur as the jackal slowly made his way around the room, examining the tools that lay on his desks, and pondering which ones were most appropriate for him to use. She made no effort to hide the disgust she felt. What Razorfur and the Carrions had done was way worse than any Night Howler scheme that Bellwether could concoct.

"Oh please stop glaring my dear" said Razorfur, his back facing the rabbit " I thought you would have realized by now that there are some people you just shouldn't trust. We wear the mask of innocence in order to veil the true threat hiding inside. And once the mask is removed, what is revealed can be quite terrifying."

"I'll admit" said Judy " I couldn't see through your mask right away. You had me and Nick completely fooled from the very start."

"So did Ms. Bellwether" said Razorfur " you didn't see through her mask until the end of the case."

"Why did you bring her up?" asked Judy.

"Because the little lamb's scheme was brilliant…" said Razorfur " to say the least. It's been a long time since I was inspired to destroy everything that stands around me. Every vile creature on this planet…I'll make them all disappear!"

"You won't get away with that!" yelled Judy.

"Wrong!" said Razorfur, turning around with a syringe in his hand " The plan is already on the way. Now hold still dear. It's time for your injection."

"Hey, what are doing?" yelled Finnick from his cage.

The little fox had been trying to figure out a way to escape, ignoring most of Razorfur's rant, but at the sound of the word 'injection', Finnick's attention immediately focused in on Judy's dire straight.

"Just this!" said Razorfur, plunging the syringe into Judy's arm.

The rabbit squirmed, crying out in pain as the vile serum began to take effect. Her eyes grew dilated, and a horrible growl began to emit from her throat. Judy started fighting violently against the straps that held her down, her whole body fraught with this animalistic urge to break free.

Finnick cringed as Razorfur called for backup, and he and the same handlers who had handled Judy before, forced her into a cage.

The rabbit was gone. All that was left now was a beast. A beast that was now trying to kill his best friend.

Finnick growled at Razorfur who stood at the right side of his cage.

"Oh you are going down pal!" the little fox thought " As soon as I get out of here, you're going to pay!"

* * *

At that moment, Razorfur couldn't have cared less what Finnick thought. The jackal just smiled in joy as he watched the blood match continue down below. Chaos, destruction, death…those words brought such sweet music to his ears.

The world was broken and needed to be destroyed, cleansed of all the fools who had doubted and teased him when he was young. For a moment, Razorfur's mind reflected deeply about his past.

Back then, he was a nervous pup, slowly adjusting to the unfair prejudices of the world. A tame collar graced around his neck, the very symbol of mistrust.

Like every other predator, he was treated harshly by the prey, and barely made any friends, all except one. His best friend Katrina was special; bright, rebellious, and requesting change for a better age.

Her ideals were before her time, before Zootopia would ever come to be, and they were immediately met with malice. The predators disagreed because the prey mistreated them, and the prey disagreed because predators were dangerous and deserved to be on a leash.

Katrina was assaulted from both sides, and the tortures she suffered through made Razorfur cringe. What hurt the most, was to see the spark of rebellion slowly fade from her eyes, and the bobcat sunk deeper and deeper into depression, eventually taking her own life.

The day Katrina died, awoke the monster inside of Razorfur. He immediately blamed all of animal society as the cause for death, and swore that one by one, he would make them pay.

Razorfur grew older, quickly advancing in the sciences and mechanical arts. He was still teased and bullied, but he learned to suffer through the pain. After all, soon he would have his revenge.

Then, not long after graduation, cases started to come in about predator and prey who seemingly disappeared. Parents were worried, and forced kids to stay inside, locking their doors at night. But these defenses were useless against a predator who stalked the dark.

Things grew worse when the mayor's son was reported missing, and the police were pressured into finishing the job. Finally, they got a clue which stumbled right into Razorfur's house.

The young jackal had long moved away from his parents and lived alone, but neighbors labeled him as frightening and mysterious, rarely letting anyone come cross his personal lines.

When the police finally arrived at Razorfur's house, everything inside the building was quiet and dark. The jackal was nowhere to be found, but the police had an eerie feeling that Razorfur was somewhere nearby.

Nodding to each other, the policemen turned and split up, guns drawn out in front, ready to defend, just in case they encountered Razorfur in one of the other rooms.

One policeman found himself traveling downstairs, and began to cringe as the sounds of growls and snarls suddenly caught his sensitive ears. It sounded like monsters were lurking deep in the basement, and the further he traveled, light illuminated from one door, illuminating the scenery of what looked like a lab.

Just then, a loud shriek cut above the growls and snarls flowing from the room.

"Help! Help me!"

Immediately the police officer moved into action. Bang!...the door went down.

"Freeze!" he yelled to the jackal standing in the room.

Razorfur dropped the syringe he holding over the helpless pig he had bound in a chair. His face was disgusted at being caught, but his jaw smiled at what he achieved.

The police officer was horrified as he looked around the room, hearing the steps of his comrades coming down after they had heard his scream. He almost felt like screaming again. The scene around him was horrible.

Trapped in cages around the room, the kidnapped children the police had been searching for, had been monstrously transformed into vicious beasts. Turned into monsters by mixing a variety of different chemicals and genes. Destroying not only their minds, but their very souls as well.

Razorfur didn't even try to put a fight as the cavalry came in and started to drag him away.

"This" he hissed " is Katrina's revenge."

After the jackal was gone, and the mayor's son returned, a decision had to be made on what to do with the beasts in Razorfur's home.

For a while, scientists attempted to cure them, but failed at every result. Then came the hardest choice parents never wanted to hear, euthanization.

Many tears were shed as families mourned and cried, hearts breaking as they watched the deformed faces of their kin fall slowly into death. The effect of the horror Razorfur had done dramatically changed the mayor's mood.

In the future, he promised to fight more soulfully for peace between predators and prey. But to Razorfur, rotting away in jail, those hopes were already lost.

There no hope for peace when chaos and prejudice rule with an iron hand. Meeting Darkness later only confirmed that claim.

"We came to destroy" thought Razorfur " This false hope will come to an end. And if the world still won't bend…I shall end it all."

* * *

Meanwhile, down in the pit, Nick was trying his best to defend himself against Judy's rage. It hurt him so much to see his friend acting like this. Course, it wasn't like she had any choice.

They had done this to her! They had turned her into a beast that she would never become!

Talking to her was useless, and Nick growled as he felt the frustration silently build up in his blood.

His claws came out, and when Judy pounced he instinctively slashed. Horror lit up on his face as he just realized the horrible thing he had done, watching as Judy's blood flew through the air, as the rabbit screamed and fell to the ground. Darkness's face flashed across his mind in order to mock him.

"Yes. Yes. This is who I wanted you to be."

"He wants me to kill her" Nick realized " He wants me to be just like him. Guh…give in to the animal inside. If I kill Judy, Darkness and this whole crazy thing wins! There has to be some way. There has ta…,"

An idea suddenly sprang up in Nick's mind, and he stood still as Judy got up, ready to continue the fight. Finnick saw this change and started yelling.

"Nick, what do you think you're doing?! Get out of there! Move!"

But Nick didn't budge, and just stood still as Judy attacked. If one of them had to die, at least it would be his life and not hers.


	14. Chapter 14: A Comrade Falls

**Ch.14: A Comrade Falls**

" _It's called a hustle sweetheart."_

" _I'm not the lair…he is!"_

" _You know you love me,"_

"Nick!" the name flashed up in Judy's mind as she blinked, vision suddenly becoming clear.

What had happened in the last few hours? All she could remember was torture and pain, Razorfur's syringe, and then…

"Oh no!" she gasped, when she noticed the motionless form lying pinned beneath her.

Immediately she jumped, gaze widening with horror as she looked upon the still form of her friend. There, Nick lay, sprawled out on the ground, his chest barely moving as blood leaked out from his neck. There was evidence of other scratches lined along his body, and Judy noticed that she was injured as well, but right now, her injuries didn't matter, as she immediately ran over and leaned over Nick.

"Carrots" gasped Nick weakly, as Judy turned his head to gaze at her " I'm glad you came back."

"Hold on Nick" cried Judy desperately " We can fix this! We can…,"

"No" said Nick " There is only one thing to do now. Stop them Carrots. Stop them…for me."

And with that said, Nick passed out and was gone, while Judy cried painful tears. Razorfur laughed as Finnick screamed "No!" from above.

"The light of hope dies" said Razorfur " Chaos is king."

"No" said Judy, standing up, eyes as cold as ice " Hope hasn't died. Not yet."

"Says the cop who failed" said Razorfur " I'm surprised the formula wore off so soon, but then…Ahh!"

The jackal suddenly screamed, and Judy looked with surprise that Finnick had somehow managed to get out of his cage. The little fox was now free and biting hard on Razorfur's leg, unleashing the primal rage that had building up in Nick and Judy's fight on the mad scientist jackal. Judy decided to help him out.

Jumping up to where Razorfur and Finnick were, Judy drop-kicked the jackal straight into a stone wall, and watched as Razorfur collapsed dropping into slumber. A nit of her anger started to fade.

"Pah!" said Finnick, wiping the blood from his mouth " He tastes nasty!"

"How'd you get out?" asked Judy.

"I picked the lock in the moments he was to busy watching the fight" said Finnick, and looked down to where lay the body of Nick " I can't believe that this is what it resulted to."

Judy looked down to, agreeing with the fox, and then suddenly remembered the promise she had made to her partner.

"Zootopia!" said Judy "We need to get up there and stop the Carrions!"

"What are we waiting for, let's move!" said Finnick.

And with that said the two flashed out of sight.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the chaos of Zootopia, Chief Bogo and his forces had their hands full fighting off Foxheart's assault.

Chaos spread everywhere as both predators and prey battled each other in the streets, sucked in by confusion by who were friends and foes.

Bogo's first response was to make sure that Gloria Bellwether was safe. The young lamb was just trying to bring all of prejudice to an end, but if she got killed, right here, right now, the result would only lead to more destruction in the future.

"I got you Ms. Bellwether," said the Chief, holding the lamb tightly in his arms.

"No I got you," suddenly hissed out a voice as Kenya suddenly appeared.

The serval crouched in a primitive stance, as her tongue ran across as she gazed at the sheep in Chief Bogo's hands. The target was in her sights, now all that was left was to kill.

Unsheathing her claws, Kenya pounced both at Gloria and Chief Bogo, ready to rip them apart.

She was to slow however, as Bogo's natural cop instincts kicked in and he shot the tranquilizer gun in his hand. Immediately, a dart zipped out and pinned Kenya in the side, making the serval collapse on the ground.

For a few moments she struggled, trying to get back on her feet, and swiped her claws, but finally fell, succumbing to the potion injected inside her.

"That's one down" said Chief Bogo " now where did their leader go?"

* * *

Foxheart was in another area of the crowd, slicing up people until he noticed Olivia trying to hide away in fear.

The kinkajou had put up a brave front back when she had a group of prey for support, but in this chaos, she was alone, and scared, worried about being torn apart. Foxheart smiled a wicked grin and decided to increase that fear.

"Look how far the tyrant falls" said Foxheart, drawing closer to Olivia " whimpering and kneeling at a predator's heels."

"You won't win this" said Olivia " you'll only prove us anti-predators right."

"Does it sound like that matters?" said Foxheart " Animals are what we are. Anyone can be prey. We're simply returning things to the natural order."

"That natural order is wrong," said Jasira, suddenly sliding in, cutting off Foxheart from Olivia.

"Ah" said Foxheart, looking at the leopard " the other fool. You would really think of defending her. She would stab you in the back if given the chance. Why not just surrender and join a noble cause?"

"I am a noble cause," said Jasira, and then lashed out at Foxheart.

Olivia could hardly hold her breath as she watched the leopard and maned wolf fight.

"Why…?" she wondered, before a voice interrupted her from the darkness.

"Nobility…All shall burn in the end."

* * *

"We're almost there," said Finnick as he and Judy edged closer to the surface. Suddenly, the little fox noticed Judy stopped.

"Wait!" Judy said " I think I found where we can get some reinforcements."

"Reinforcements!" said Finnick " There's no one but us running around down here."

"No, you're wrong" said Judy " This way!"

And the rabbit ran straight towards the city of the bats.

* * *

Olivia was truly scared now, as Darkness appeared before her eyes. The black tiger looked fierce and menacing in the corrupted moonlight. His fangs glistened like ivory, and Olivia could his hot breath brush against her skin.

"Hello Olivia" growled Darkness " having fun with my friends. All of this chaos…it was partly inspired by you. Well you and Ms. Bellwether…but even psycho's need help."

"Who are you?" asked Olivia.

"I am the monster society has made me" said Darkness, creeping closer to the kinkajou " The fear that burns in every sinew of their heart. A freak, someone to blame, a being whose only purpose is to kill. Just like you kill."

"I am Darkness."

With that said, Darkness raised his claw, ready to tear Olivia into bits, when suddenly a vast array of screeching suddenly split through the air, giving nearly all creatures a giant reason to pause.

Chief Bogo and Darkness both looked up, gazing towards the moon, which was suddenly covered by a gusher of figures exploding from the ground.

Bats, who lived happy and alive in their private underground city. They had come as reinforcements, with Judy and Finnick riding joyfully along their backs.


	15. Chapter 15: Final Curtain

**Ch.15: Final Curtain**

Chief Bogo could hardly believe what his eyes were as the swarm of bats swooped down, attacking any Carrion within their sight. Dozens upon dozens of these ceaseless mammals ganged up on a Carrion, making them screech and howl in pain.

Chief Bogo could hardly hear himself think over all of the noise. But still, action needed to be done.

"This is our chance men! Move! Move it now!"

Immediately responding to their Chief's command, the ZPD moved in on the Carrions who were being attacked, and slapped cuffs over their claws.

From her position, Jasira grinned at Foxheart, glad that things were finally taking a turn.

"So much for the superior species," the leopard purred.

"Grr!" growled Foxheart, turning on Jasira, as he suddenly pounced out, claws unsheathed.

Stunned, Jasira immediately went to defend herself, raising up her arms, as Foxheart's weight dropped against her chest, pinning her to the ground.

The maned wolf's fangs instantly snapped, edging closer and closer to leopard's jugular vein. Knowing that she had to act fast, or else she would die, Jasira scraped her back claws against Foxheart's underbelly, making the villain howl.

And before the wolf could have a chance to recover from his pain, Jasira slipped out from under him, and knocked out Foxheart hard with her claw.

The Carrion's body twitched for a second before finally succumbing to the deepness of slumber. Once she was sure the situation was now safe, a breath of relief escaped from Jasira's lips.

That was one villain down, but there were still several more to go.

It was time to put an end to all this darkness. But, darkness was an enemy that couldn't easily be beat.

* * *

Darkness growled, having lost sight of his prey. When the bats came out to help stop the Carrions, Olivia had managed to slip out from under his nose, and was now hiding somewhere in the ruins of the crowd.

Wherever the kinkajou was hiding, Darkness would make sure she wouldn't stay hidden for long.

"Where are you?" Darkness growled, his claws clacking against the concrete as he edged closer and closer towards his prey.

Olivia stayed silent in the hopes that she wouldn't be found. For the first time in years pure fear filled up the kinkajou's heart, and she prayed that the stone tent above her head would keep her safely hidden from Darkness's sight.

The sounds of crunching footsteps edged ever closer. Olivia curled herself even tighter into a ball, hoping that Darkness would just casually pass away.

There was silence for a moment, and Olivia breathed in relief thinking that the tiger was gone. But then, suddenly, a huge claw suddenly appeared at her front door. The hole in her stone tent was cast in shadow, indicating the lethal threat that stood just outside.

For a moment, the claw lingered there, before moving and disappearing from Olivia's eyes. A second later…Snap! The roof of her hiding spot was gone, and Olivia cringed under the evil glow of Darkness's fierce, yellow gaze.

The tiger grinned, baring his fangs at his prey. The time had come for the final blow.

Roar escaping his lips, Darkness lunged, but before his fangs could sink in, something hard knocked into him, pushing him aside.

"Growl!" Darkness glared, looking over to where he had left his prey, and spotted a familiar figure standing between his path to Olivia. Olivia to was stunned.

"Judy Hopps?" the kinkajou said.

Darkness grinned, eyes narrowing on the rabbit.

"So" said Darkness " you're still alive,"

"Right" said Judy, her violet eyes narrowing in fury " This ends now Darkness. You;ve lost!"

"Lost?" laughed the tiger " Foolish child…I've already won. How does it feel, knowing that you've killed your best friend?"

"Aaahh!" yelled Judy as she charged.

This beast was going to pay for he did to her and Nick, especially Nick.

 _"I will avenge him!"_


End file.
